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Ji Huailuo loved to have fun, and since a few of them had grown up together, their gatherings were always full of wild antics. Today, though, because there were ladies around, they managed to tone it down a bit, only bringing two decks of cards to play a game of “Landlord” (Dou Di Zhu).
Wei Long was the “landlord” several times in a row, but kept losing every round, his face looking like it had been covered with a marker drawing of a turtle.
Xu Zhiqiao, always sharp-minded, had a feeling that the others were doing it on purpose.
She patted Wei Long on the shoulder. “I’ll take over this round.”
Ji Huailuo shouted, “Do you even know how to play? Don’t start crying when you lose!”
“Don’t worry,” Xu Zhiqiao said, still holding a grudge, “I’ll take the loss if it happens.”
Hua Qingyang kicked Zhou Cong’s foot. “Be gentle. She’ll be hard to calm down if she cries.”
Zhou Cong gave a half-smile, his lips curving without any real humor.
It was Xu Zhiqiao’s turn to be the “landlord.” Her cards were decent. The first hand gave her a sequence, and unless the others had a bomb, the second round was going to be hers too.
Ji Huailuo and Hua Qingyang both passed.
Zhou Cong lazily said, “Pass.”
Xu Zhiqiao threw down a 3.
Ji Huailuo threw a 5, Hua Qingyang a Jack.
Zhou Cong placed four 6s.
This was what they called a “bomb.”
“…”
Ji Huailuo twitched his mouth. “What the hell? She plays a 3, and you throw down a bomb?”
Zhou Cong shrugged. “I feel like it.”
Xu Zhiqiao lowered her lashes, her lips pressed tight, sensing Zhou Cong was doing this on purpose.
In the previous round, he could have played a bomb, but he deliberately held back.
Now, it was Zhou Cong’s turn to play.
He casually tossed down a 3.
Xu Zhiqiao: “…”
This was exactly the card she could use to throw away her 5.
Ji Huailuo grumbled, “You’re the goalie! Play a big card!”
Zhou Cong: “I feel like it.”
“…”
After the round, Xu Zhiqiao played a big Joker. Unless the others had a bomb, she was going to lead the next round.
None of the three wanted to play.
Xu Zhiqiao was left with five cards. According to the rules, once you have two or fewer cards left, you must announce the count.
After some thought, she played a pair, finishing it with Zhou Cong’s pair of 2s, which was the highest.
Now it was Zhou Cong’s turn.
“Three of a kind.”
Ji Huailuo couldn’t take it anymore and almost flipped the table. “Damn! You’ve got issues! Didn’t you just play a 3? Why are you splitting them up now?”
Zhou Cong: “I feel like it.”
“You feel like it?” Ji Huailuo cursed angrily. “Are you throwing the game? Are you deliberately sabotaging us?”
Zhou Cong raised his eyebrow. “It’s not over yet. Why are you in such a rush?”
Hua Qingyang kicked Ji Huailuo. “Quiet down.”
The game continued.
Xu Zhiqiao played a Jack, and when it was Zhou Cong’s turn, he threw down a small Joker.
The big Joker was already played, and no card in the deck was bigger than a small Joker.
Again, Zhou Cong went first.
He seemed to smile, tossing out a 3.
At this point, if Xu Zhiqiao still didn’t understand what he was up to, she might as well give up.
This guy was clearly playing with her.
It was like a cat catching a mouse but not eating it right away, playing with it, teasing it, and only when it was thoroughly tired did it finally finish it off.
Xu Zhiqiao tossed her cards down. “I lost.”
“…”
Ji Huailuo wasn’t happy again. “What’s going on, Ah Cong?”
“You don’t want me to throw the game, but you don’t like it when I play normally either?” Zhou Cong said with a half-smile.
Ji Huailuo retorted, “Why did you split up the three 3s and play them in three turns?”
Zhou Cong: “I feel like it.”
Ji Huailuo found it absurd. “You don’t want to draw a turtle on my sister’s face, do you?”
Zhou Cong looked at him without blinking. “Yeah.”
“…”
Xu Zhiqiao wasn’t the type to be upset over losing. She tied her messy hair up with a hairband and lifted her face. “Go ahead.”
“Qiaoqiao,” Wei Long said cautiously, “Let me do it for you. I’ve already drawn so many.”
“No need.”
The smile that had briefly appeared on Zhou Cong’s lips vanished, but quickly returned to normal. His beautiful, bony hand held the marker, his body slightly leaning forward, and his other large hand easily steadied her head.
“Don’t move, I’ll make it pretty for you.”
“…”
The marker was cold and made her skin itch when it touched. Zhou Cong’s familiar, warm breath brushed across her face, and Xu Zhiqiao couldn’t help but close her eyes.
Zhou Cong’s gaze lowered, locking onto her face. His hand continued to move, but slower now.
Everyone thought he was just being careful, trying to make the drawing look nice for the girl.
But only Zhou Cong knew how badly he wanted to kiss her.
The delicate skin under his palm was so different from his hand, which had calluses, and he longed to touch it carefully.
But he didn’t dare.
His reckless gazing came to an end with the final stroke.
Zhou Cong withdrew his hand, tilted his head to examine his work. In the warm orange light, his expression seemed to soften, more youthful than usual, not the usual stern and noble air he often carried.
“Can I take a photo? I’ll post it on WeChat.”
“Ah, then I want to take one too,” Ji Huailuo was the most eager. “I’ll post it, I want everyone to know my sister lost.”
Xu Zhiqiao: “…”
As the mountain forest grew colder at night, Xu Zhiqiao couldn’t hold on anymore. “You guys play, we’re going back to our room.”
Ji Huailuo waved. “Go ahead. The girls’ room is upstairs, we’re downstairs. Call out if you need anything.”
“Okay.”
Xu Zhiqiao shared a bed with Qu Xiuxiu, while Ye Shuanglu stayed in the next room.
As soon as they got back, Qu Xiuxiu immediately took out her phone. “Qiaoqiao, look at this.”
There was a photo on the screen.
The dim lighting showed Zhou Cong’s hand holding her head with one hand, while the other hand was placed on her forehead. But his gaze wasn’t on her forehead.
It was below her eyes.
“This is the most emotional photo I’ve taken,” Qu Xiuxiu said. “It’s filled with longing, a desire that can’t be fulfilled, and a fleeting indulgence of longing through the game.”
“…”
Qu Xiuxiu was not only satisfied with the photo, but also with her own poetic interpretation.
“He likes you,” Qu Xiuxiu said with certainty.
Xu Zhiqiao started to get frustrated. “I don’t know what ‘like’ is. I don’t want it. I don’t need it.”
Qu Xiuxiu smirked. “You just don’t get it. Didn’t you admit you liked Liu Dehua?”
“…” Xu Zhiqiao fell silent for a moment. “I also know I like Wei’s Father.”
Qu Xiuxiu commented, “You have a father complex.”
“…”
Qu Xiuxiu teased, “You like the fatherly vibe.”
Xu Zhiqiao laughed.
“Such a weird fatherly vibe.”
“Blame it on how handsome and trendy my big brother is,” Qu Xiuxiu sighed, “He just doesn’t have that fatherly vibe yet.”
Xu Zhiqiao went to take a shower.
After washing her hair, she felt a chill in her lower abdomen, as if her period had suddenly arrived.
She put on her pajamas and rubbed her belly. “Xiuxiu, do you have any sanitary pads?”
“No,” Qu Xiuxiu replied, “Mine comes around mid-month. Are you…?”
“Mm.”
Qu Xiuxiu searched around the room. “I’ll go downstairs…”
“You go ahead,” Xu Zhiqiao thought for a moment. “I think I saw SIster Ye has some.”
She had seen it when she went to the bathroom with Ye Shuanglu earlier.
“Okay, hurry up.”
Knocking on Ye Shuanglu’s door, Xu Zhiqiao explained why she was there.
There was a brief pause.
Ye Shuanglu had just finished blow-drying her hair, looking a little messy, her cool face framed by her hair. “I don’t have any either. Or… maybe you should ask your brothers?”
“…”